Mountain Jam (festival)

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Mountain Jam
Mountain Jam 2025 logo
Genre	Jam band, Rock, Jazz, Blues, Reggae
Dates	June 20-22, 2025
Location(s)	Belleayre Mountain, New York (2025) Bethel Woods, New York (2019) Hunter Mountain, New York (2005-2018)
Years active	2005–present
Founders	WDST/Radio Woodstock, Gary Chetkof[1]
Website	https://mountainjamfestival.com/

Mountain Jam is an annual music festival held in upstate New York since 2005. It started as a small one day music festival in 2005 with 3000 attendees,^[2] and has grown over the years into the largest rock and camping festival in the Northeast that is usually 3 or 4 days long, drawing over 40,000 attendees over the duration of the Festival.^{[citation needed]}

Mountain Jam has built a reputation for its vibrant and diverse musical offering featuring rock, jamband, Americana, indie, folk, reggae, and funk, showcasing everything from well-known headliners to emerging artists.^[3] While it's a significant festival, Mountain Jam maintains a sense of intimacy and community. The relatively smaller scale compared to some major festivals allows for a more personal and engaging experience.^[4]

The festival's setting in the picturesque Catskill Mountains adds to its charm, offering attendees stunning natural views alongside the music. Beyond the performances, there are various interactive and creative experiences, multiple food options and extensive activities making it a well-rounded festival for fans of music and the outdoors alike.

Mountain Jam was created by Gary Chetkof, the principal owner of the nationally renown independent progressive radio station Radio Woodstock/WDST in 2005 to celebrate the radio station's 25th anniversary. Chetkof grew up a fan of WLIR in Long Island and WNEW in New York City, and regularly attended their summer concert festivals in Belmont Park and Central Park. Chetkof chose Hunter Mountain Ski resort for its rolling hills, picturesque Catskill Mountain ranges, and its natural amphitheater environment, along with the amenities of a ski lodge and the unique sky ride that gave patrons a ride up and down the mountain.

Over time, the festival grew to include multiple days with camping and has grown to include a diverse lineup of smaller artists, as well as large acts including Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Robert Plant, The Black Keys, The Lumineers, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Widespread Panic, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, Willie Nelson, The Allman Brothers Band, Steve Winwood, Gov't Mule, The Avett Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Levon Helm, The Alabama Shakes, Steve Miller Band, Wilco, Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers and Pretty Lights.

In 2013 due to rising talent and overall festival production costs, Mountain Jam became a collaboration between Chetkof and Townsquare Media, which owns clusters of radio stations around the U.S. (with a focus on country radio)  and promotes live events, concerts, and festivals. Chetkof and Townsquare also co-created the Taste of Country Music Festival on back-to-back weekends with Mountain Jam through 2018. That festival became the largest country music and camping festival in the Northeast.

In 2019, Chetkof ended its relationship with TownSquare Media and joined forces with Live Nation, a major global entertainment company known for its involvement in concert promotion and event management, To commemorate the legendary Woodstock Music and Arts Fair’s 50th anniversary, Mountain Jam moved to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The 2019 line-up included Willie Nelson, Gov’t Mule, The Avett Brothers, The Revivalists, Dispatch and Toots and The Maytals.

The scheduled 2020 Mountain Jam line-up featured Trey Anastasio Band, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Gov’t Mule, Grace Potter, The Head and The Heart. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was canceled to ensure the safety of attendees, artists, and staff. This decision was part of a broader trend of festivals and large events being postponed or canceled due to public health concerns.

Mountain Jam has yet to resurface; however Chetkof regained total ownership and control of Mountain Jam and rumors have surfaced that it may return in 2025 at a location other than Bethel Woods.

On Oct 22, 2024, it was announced that Mountain Jam would return June 20-22, 2025 at Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort in Highmount, NY. ^[5] Line-up announcement coming soon.

The original Mountain Jam, a single-day event on June 4, 2005, celebrated the 25th anniversary of WDST, Woodstock's radio station. The festival featured performances by:

• Gov't Mule
• Medeski, Martin & Wood
• Robert Randolph & The Family Band
• Xavier Rudd

After the success of the 2005 25th WDST anniversary event, Mountain Jam was extended to 3 days. The 2006 Mountain Jam took place June 2–4 at Hunter Mountain, New York.^[6] The New York Times described it as a "little Bonnaroo".^[7] The lineup included:

Mountain Jam 2007 took place June 1–3 and was cited as was the largest music festival in the Northeast/New England. .^[8] The lineup featured:

Mountain Jam 2008 took place May 30-June 1.^[9] The three-day lineup included:

Mountain Jam 2009 took place May 29–30.^[10][11] The lineup included:

Mountain Jam 2010 took place June 4 to June 6.^[12][13] The lineup included:

Mountain Jam 2011 took place June 2 to June 5, with acts including:^[14]

Mountain Jam 2012 took place May 31 to June 3 at Hunter Mountain, with a lineup including:^[15]

Also included was a brief set in tribute to Levon Helm, who was based in nearby Woodstock and had died on April 20. The set featured Gov't Mule, the Levon Helm Band, and special guests.^[16]

Mountain Jam 2013 took place at Hunter Mountain June 6 to 9. The lineup included:^[17]

The 10th Mountain Jam festival took place at Hunter mountain June 5 to 8, 2014 with the following acts:^[18]

The 11th Mountain Jam took place at Hunter Mountain June 4-7. The stellar line-up included:^[19]

The 12th annual Mountain Jam took place at Hunter Mountain, New York June 2-5. The festival line-up included:^[20]

The 13th annual Mountain Jam again took place at Hunter Mountain, New York. It was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' last festival appearance. This was the complete line-up:^[21]

The 14th Mountain Jam took place from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 17, 2018 with the following acts:^[22]

The 15th Annual Mountain Jam took place from June 13–16 at Bethel Woods Center For The Arts At The Historic Site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

The 16th Annual Mountain Jam was scheduled to take place May 29-May 31, 2020 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The event was cancelled on March 31 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.^[23] The scheduled line-up was:^[24]

Mountain Jam Back Alive in '25. June 20-22, 2025 at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, Highmount, New York. Line-up to be announced soon.

• List of jam band music festivals
• List of reggae festivals

• http://www.radiowoodstock.com/
• https://mountainjamfestival.com/